


to take me out of your view

by insunshine



Category: Crooked Media RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Career, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-07 15:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16411433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insunshine/pseuds/insunshine
Summary: “So are we doing long-distance, or what?” Tommy lets his voice hang, trying for a joke, but his tone falls too flat, especially since Lovett fails at hiding his wince.





	to take me out of your view

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alotofthingsdifferent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alotofthingsdifferent/gifts).



> Remix of [if you love something](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13554303) by alotofthingsdifferent.
> 
> Thanks to the mods for setting up such a fun challenge, the usual suspects for the beta and the handholding, and “90 Mile Waterwall” by The National for the title.
> 
> I really dug playing in this sandbox, alotofthingsdifferent! Thank you most especially for letting me.

“So are we doing long-distance, or what?” Tommy lets his voice hang, trying for a joke, but his tone falls too flat, especially since Lovett fails at hiding his wince.

“I—” Lovett says, a faint blush crossing the rounded tops of his cheeks. “Really?”

It would be cruel to say, _no, not really_ , especially because Tommy’s not sure what he’d been trying to do but break the sudden, awful tension that had persistently lingered after Lovett had gotten off the phone. They’ve been on less than ten dates, Tommy thinks. It shouldn’t be hard to wish each other well and move on.

“Yes?” Tommy says decisively, and can’t help his surprise when Lovett beams at him, bright and insistent.

“Yes,” Lovett repeats. “Yes, why not? It’s only six months. It’s a limited series show. It’s only New York. People do cross-country flights all the time.”

“What’s that three hour time difference, anyway?” Tommy jokes again, but it still doesn’t quite hit, because Lovett flinches again. 

They order Indian from the good place that’s almost too far to deliver to Tommy’s apartment, half watching a Tom Cruise movie with the volume on low. Tommy has his fingers curled against the base of Lovett’s neck, stroking idly as they both ignore the television in favor of checking their phones.

He’s not exactly surprised when Lovett turns his head and meets Tommy’s gaze upside down, but he is surprised when Lovett says, blunt, “So are we, uh. Long distance implies some kind of commitment and longevity.”

He can feel his face scrunching as he says, “Didn’t we have the ‘exclusive’ conversation after the second time we went out? I remember, because—“

“ _I_ remember,” Lovett interjects hotly, poking against Tommy’s chest as he sits up. His cheeks are flushed, eyes blazing under his glasses. “Because someone made a _very_ tasteless remark about gay men being promiscuous.”

Tommy laughs despite himself, watching as Lovett tries and fails to hide the quirk of his generous mouth. “I didn’t,” he argues. “I just said I was surprised you wanted to!”

“Tommy,” Lovett says, fully chewing on the corner of his bottom lip to keep from laughing. “You said, and I quote, ‘I’m surprised you want to lock all this down, already.’”

All at once, it’s impossible that they’re separated by even these scant few inches. Tommy leans in and smushes his face against the soft plane of Lovett’s neck, laughing too hard to speak and breathing him in.

“Well, I was,” he mutters, the words muffled against Lovett’s skin.

“Lock. This. Down. Already,” Lovett repeats above him. 

His shoulders are shaking with the effort of keeping stoic. Tommy bites him to see what’ll happen, light enough so that it won’t obviously bruise, but hard enough to hear Lovett’s soft, sharp exhalation.

It’s only a few seconds before Lovett gasps, “ _Tommy_ ,” and then he is laughing, and then he’s falling back against the couch, dragging Tommy down with him.

“Well, I was,” Tommy says, meeting Lovett’s eyes from where he’s gotten comfortable sprawled on top of him. “That was not the experience I’d had with dates before.”

Lovett snorts out loud, reaching out his hand vaguely before dropping it down again, “Well, that’s because you were trying to find nice boys on Grindr and nice girls on whatever dating apps young ladies use nowadays. Obviously, I wouldn’t know.”

“Obviously,” Tommy agrees, snorting out a laugh against Lovett’s collarbone. “Favs gave me one of his Raya invite codes,” he adds idly. “Could’ve used that to find a nice young lady, but I went out on a date with Emily’s business partner instead.”

“Make sure not to lose that,” Lovett says, after a weirdly quiet moment. “People still want those. They crave that exclusivity. We could probably sell it, make a tidy profit.”

“I could probably use a new car,” Tommy muses, tapping exaggeratedly on his chin. “Maybe a bigger apartment.”

“Isn’t the lease on this place up soon?” Lovett asks, idly picking at a hole on the hem of his old t-shirt. "I remember you talking about it at the barbecue last weekend.”

“Yeah,” Tommy says, something in his chest loosening at the idea that it was a detail Lovett examined and remembered. “End of the year. I’m probably going to just sign with George the next time I see him.”

Lovett mumbles something at the exact moment the buzzer sounds for the outer door. Before he untangles himself and gets up, Tommy says, “Did you say something?” 

They’ve been together a little over two months. Not a huge amount of time, maybe, but he’d like to think he’s learning the secrets hidden in Lovett’s face. He’d looked poised to say something, Tommy’s sure of it.

“Nah,” he answers. “Go get the food. I am voraciously hungry and it’s a cheat day.”

Tommy takes the two steps to the buzzer and lets the delivery person inside. “You know,” he says. “Every day can be a cheat day, if you don’t diet.”

“You know,” Lovett grumps back, “in New York, no one will believe that a schlub like me actually managed to bag such a gorgeous WASP unless I keep the bod. It takes a lot of effort to keep hotties interested.”

“Don’t say ‘hotties’,” Tommy says, instead of commenting on the rest of it. “You know I always think you look good.”

“I know you’re old,” Lovett says, stretching back out on the couch and getting comfortable, arms tucked behind his head. “Maybe you have cataracts and you just can’t see.”

“Maybe,” Tommy agrees, opening the door when the Postmates courier knocks. “Hey, thanks man,” he says, handing over a cash tip as he takes their sack of food with his other hand. 

“Fuck,” the courier says staring down at the fifty. “Thanks for not using the tip function on the app. They don’t let you go this high.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Tommy says with a smile. “Have a great night.”

Unboxing their food on the coffee table, Lovett says, “Are you trying to butter up the delivery people so they’ll bring you extra naan while I’m gone?”

Tommy knocks their shoulders together, swallowing around a mouthful of curry so he can say, “Maybe I’ll be in New York so often they won’t even remember what I look like.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Lovett says. “That sounds really nice.”

;;

Lovett has barely been gone a month when Tommy plans his first visit to New York. He has his carryon packed and ready in the passenger seat of his car. He’s been ready to go all afternoon, but now that the end is in sight, he can’t stop tapping his foot impatiently against the thinning rug in the back of the school auditorium. And then, unexpectedly, the candidate completely whiffs a talking point during what’s supposed to be a run-of-the-mill stump speech.

Tommy stands in the back of the stuffy room with Erin and Ira and Kara and watches in horror as the diversion from the speech doesn’t end in a charming anecdote, but an awkward plea for water, and a smattering of applause.

“That was…” Ira hisses. “Catastrophic. Can we say catastrophic? Fuck, that was bad.”

“We _can_ ,” Kara agrees, “but probably not in front of Tommy, twenty minutes before he has to leave for the airport to get on a plane.”

“I don’t have to leave in twenty minutes,” Tommy says, following as they file backstage. “I probably can stay for a debrief. How long can that possibly take?”

In front of them, the candidate is crouched, shaking hands with some eighth graders from the school district's JSA. Tommy had invited them to watch from backstage. A little adornment for the kind of folksy charm they’re trying to cultivate for her.

“Do you have any questions for me?” she asks. “Maybe some pointers on grown-up politics?”

Tommy winces and tries to hide it, especially when one of the kids, the shortest, with rosy cheeks and coke bottle glasses, says, “Do you want tips from us, maybe? I’ve never seen a ‘grown-up’ whiff it so bad.”

Objectively, it’s horrifying. This is a setback, but Tommy still has to keep his eyes studiously away from Erin’s, so neither of them end up laughing out loud.

“Ma’am?” she interjects, after a few tense seconds of silence. “We have another appointment. We should go.”

“Yes, right,” she agrees, standing and wiping her palms on the thighs of her slacks. “Thanks for coming out, kids. I really appreciate you taking the time.”

“We’re getting class credit for this,” says Coke Bottle Glasses. “Don't get too excited.”

It’s the parking lot that seals his fate. It’s only a ten minute drive back to the office, and technically the office is geographically closer to LAX than the high school had been.

“Don’t do it, Tommy,” Kara says, eyeing the freeway. “If you get tangled up in this meeting, you’re going to miss your flight. Just go.”

“Take the L,” Erin says. “Let us deal with it.”

“Fuck,” Tommy says, glancing at his watch again. “Are you sure?”

“Tom,” says the candidate, just as he’s turning for his car. His keys burn against his palm.

“He's headed for the airport, ma’am,” Ira says, taking a step closer, like he’s trying to block Tommy from her line of sight.

“Oh,” she says, momentarily paused on her next words. 

“We’ll fill him in Monday morning,” Erin says, stepping in smoothly and throwing Tommy a discreet thumbs up.

He gets in his car. Once the motorcade has left the lot, he texts Lovett a selfie with the setting sun mirrored in his sunglasses and the words, _see you sooooon _.__

_Sooooon_ , Lovett sends back. 

__There’s so much traffic, Tommy misses his flight._ _

__;;_ _

__Their next missed connection isn’t any more Lovett’s fault than it was Tommy’s the last time. He catches the bug that’s been banging around their writers room and can’t seem to shake it._ _

__Over Skype, he snuffles, “This sucks. I had almost three months of Grade-A, all-American, Puritan dick, and now I’m alone, in a shoebox apartment, with the flu—”_ _

__“Ten minutes ago, it was sepsis,” Tommy teases, peering at Lovett through the screen and fiercely wishing he were closer._ _

__He’s never had this kind of long distance relationship before, not one where he’d thought they’d have more time and lost it. He feels robbed of getting to feel Lovett’s body next to him in bed. He feels robbed of a lot of things._ _

__“In another ten minutes it might be food poisoning,” Lovett grumps. “I really wish you were here.”_ _

__“I’m sorry,” Tommy says, idly looking at flight times on his phone and trying to determine whether it would be worth it to pay $1800 for a cramped seat in coach and less than twelve hours in New York._ _

__“At least there’s Thanksgiving, right?” Lovett coughs. “We’re done for the whole week. I’ve never missed sweating so much.”_ _

__“Because of all the sex we’ll be having?” Tommy asks._ _

__“Because there are two inches of snow on the ground and it’s only _October_.”_ _

__“Yikes,” Tommy agrees, and then, “Hey, is this $2000 flight worth it for less than twelve hours? The candidate has an early morning press conference on Monday, or I would just take the day and stay longer.”_ _

__Over the computer screen, Lovett’s face goes soft. “No,” he says. “I mean, _yes_ , I wish you were here. I wish you had come with me.”_ _

__“What?” Tommy says, white noise shaking around his brain and making it difficult to focus._ _

__Lovett looks very small, suddenly, maybe a little scared, but he pushes through it, squaring his chin. “Yeah, I wanted to, uh. I wanted to ask you to come with me. I want you to be here with me.”_ _

__“So when I said, ‘long-distance’, that must’ve stopped you in your tracks, right?”_ _

__“Better than dumping me,” Lovett says. “I’ve been kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop, to be honest. You’re hot, Tommy.”_ _

__Tommy’s eyes are burning, but he blinks it away. “You are.” After a second, another thing occurs to him. “Fuck, is that why you were asking about my lease? Because you wanted to—because you wanted me to—”_ _

__“Yeah,” Lovett says, blowing his nose. “Surprise.”_ _

__;;_ _

__By the time the work day is over, the election is still too close to call. The polling has been all over the place, so Tommy honestly doesn't know which way it’s going to go. He wants her to win, but even if she does, he won’t be joining the transition team._ _

His phone buzzes in his hand, where Emily has texted, _When was the last time you ate?_

_Full meal? Probably yesterday_ , he sends back. _Had a protein bar this morning. You know how it is. Crunch time._

_Any chance you can get away for dinner?_

__

__Tommy looks around the room. Erin and Ira are standing with the one of volunteers, listening patiently as she gesticulates wildly. Through the glass door of her office, he can see Kara in with the candidate._ _

__

__He looks back down at his desk. There are emails he has to respond to, decisions to be made and threads to be tied once they know the verdict, when the final vote tallies are in. He could just grab his laptop and finish up at home, or at Emily and Jon’s, but the rest of his team is here. He can’t leave._ _

__

_Slim_ , he sends back. _Sorry, pal._

__When she doesn’t text back right away, he throws his phone aside, keeping one eye on the Times needle and the other on his email._ _

__So far, he has three interviews set up in New York; two in junior senate offices as press liaison, and one for a media company looking for a consultant to help them expand into politics. He’s most excited about the last one, but he’ll take any one of them, if the price is right._ _

_What if we brought dinner to you?_

__The message brightens his screen, and he smiles down at it, considering his options. He doesn’t have time to drive all the way to Jon and Emily’s, but he could probably carve out a half an hour to eat some dinner if they came here._ _

_I don’t want to make you come all the way out here_ , he texts back. _But I always want to see you guys. I could probably take a half an hour for dinner._

__

__

_On our way!_ She texts back, along with three plane emojis and a bowl of noodles. 

__“Tommy,” Ira calls across the room. “You have those numbers?”_ _

__“Yeah, right here,” he says, grabbing the folder off his desk and walking it over._ _

__It’s easy to lose time talking to to the volunteers. They’re energetic and energized and happy to be there. Tommy’s happy to have them, honestly. It’s hard not to get discouraged during the daily slog, but when faced with people so excited to be involved, it’s even harder to be cynical._ _

__“Hey, Tommy,” somebody calls from behind him. “You have a guest.”_ _

__“Hey, Tommy,” another voice says, quieter but infinitely more familiar. “I thought you might want dinner.”_ _

__Maybe he should have been expecting a surprise like this, but honestly, Tommy wasn’t._ _

__“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asks, suddenly breathless._ _

__“Language, Tommy,” Erin singsongs, but he flips her off, shoving his paperwork to Ira, and walks across the room in three long strides._ _

__Lovett is holding a bag of takeout, but he drops it with a thud as Tommy takes his face in his hands and kisses him. Lovett’s fingers curl over Tommy’s forearms as he kisses back, throwing himself into it._ _

__“What the fuck are you doing here?” Tommy asks again. “I thought I was supposed to come to you.”_ _

__Lovett shrugs, shivering a little in his thin jacket. “What can I say? You’re too hot to stay away.”_ _

__“I love you,” Tommy says. “I know it’s too soon, but fuck it. I love you.”_ _

__“Fuck it,” Lovett repeats. He tugs his hat off, showing off his newly closely shaved head. “I was so sure you were going to dump me, I did this.”_ _

__“Your hairdresser is going to be mad you cheated on him,” Tommy says, feeling lighter than he has in months. “Probably a good thing you won’t be seeing Mark for a while, huh?”_ _

__“Yeah,” Lovett agrees, beaming back at Tommy. “Come on, let’s eat. Sappy love declarations never kept anybody’s dinner warm.”_ _

__“Okay,” Tommy agrees, reaching down to grab the food with his left hand, gripping Lovett’s fingers with his right. “There’s a table in the break room. It’ll probably be a little cramped, but we can manage.”_ _

__“Or,” Lovett says, “You could put the food in the fridge and make out with me in my car.”_ _

__He’s not wearing his glasses, so Tommy gets an unobstructed view of his face. Lovett’s eyes are wide and hopeful, and that generous mouth is curved in a smile._ _

__“Come on, big guy. Take a ride with me.”_ _

__“Dirty,” Tommy says, but he’s already moving back to his desk to grab his fleece and his phone. “Free potstickers to the first person who throws this in the fridge,” he says, gesturing to the takeout and speaking to the room at large, trying not to laugh at the two interns already hovering a few feet from his desk._ _

__Outside, Lovett grabs Tommy’s hand again, twining their fingers together. “I didn’t say it in there, but I love you too.” He scrunches his nose and says, “It’s so cheesy. I love you. I _love_ you. I love my dog. I love burritos. What I feel for you is more than — it’s brain chemistry. Endorphins, right? I endorphin you.”_ _

__“Endorphin me,” Tommy repeats. He wants to laugh, because he’s certain this is a bit, but sometimes Lovett zags when you think he’s going to zig._ _

__“Every time I see you, my heart races,” Lovett says. He stops abruptly. They’re a few feet away from his old Jeep, but Tommy doesn’t make a move toward it. Lovett presses their joined hands to his chest. “Feel it.”_ _

__Tommy's voice is hoarse when he says, “I feel it.”_ _

__“This is cheesy too,” Lovett says, meeting Tommy’s eyes in the dim light of the sunset. “I just wanted to be memorable.”_ _

__“Don’t think you have to worry about that,” Tommy says, dipping in to kiss his cheek. “You’re kind of impossible to forget.”_ _


End file.
